The present invention relates generally to connectors used in high-speed and high-density cable connector assemblies, and more particularly to a cable connector that has an improved grounding shield.
In the field of telecommunications and in other electronic fields, cable assemblies are used to connect one electronic device to another. In many instances, the cable assemblies have at one or more of their ends, a plurality of connector modules, each of which serves to connect a plurality of individual wires to an opposing connector, such as a pin connector. It is desirable to provide very high density pin counts while maintaining superior cross-talk performance. Proper selective grounding of certain terminals is required to provide increased data transfer.
Structures for attaining these aims are known in the art, but tend to be bulky and require additional, valuable, empty unused area. Such a structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,538, issued Jan. 5, 1993, and is shown to include a connector having a plurality of slots and cavities with signal contacts being received within the cavities of the connector. A grounding shield is provided having a plurality of contacts in the form of spring fingers which are positioned to protrude into the unoccupied slots. These spring fingers serve as contact portions that contact selected terminal pins. In this construction, each connector has to be custom configured for each installation.
In the connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,443, issued May 2, 1989, the individual termination ends of the signal contacts of the connector extend rearwardly past a body of the connector to define a termination area. No grounding shield is shown or described as being used to cover the termination area in order to provide shielding throughout the termination portion of the connector. At higher frequencies that are used for data transmission, the potential for signal-disrupting crosstalk increases greatly and unless the entire signal contacts are shielded, the possibility of occurrence of crosstalk increases.
The present invention is therefore directed to a novel and unique grounding shield for use with cable connector wafers, or modules, which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and which provides improved shielding throughout the length of the connector and in the termination area of the signal contacts.